16 https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/index Scientifc Foundation SPIROSKI, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2021 May 16; 9(T3):16-18. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.6302 eISSN: 1857-9655 Category: T3 - Thematic Issue “Neuroscience, Neurology, Psychiatry and General Medicine” Section: Psychiatry The Relationship of Medication Adherence and Social Functioning of Persons with Schizophrenia in the Long-term Period Jenny Marlindawani Purba*, Roymond H. Simamora, Evi Karota Department of Community and Psychiatry Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia Abstract BACKGROUND: Medication adherence is an essential aspect of the daily lives of persons with schizophrenia, while in-compliance is related to their social functioning performance. AIM: The study aims to analyze the prolonged relationship between medication adherence and the social functioning of persons with chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: A descriptive correlation method was carried out on 60 persons with schizophrenia at Pasung in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, using questionnaires. RESULTS: The results indicate that 68.3–51.7% of respondents had low adherence to medication and social functioning, respectively. Spearman rank claimed that there is a strong relationship between medication adherence and social functioning among chronic schizophrenia persons. Furthermore, the result reported that medication adherence positively afected social functioning among persons with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: Medication adherence is a priority for maintaining the behavior of people living with schizophrenia to help them control their psychotic symptoms. Therefore, it can enhance their social functioning performance and daily living activity. Family participation is needed for continuous medication program and relapse rate prevention. Edited by: Branislav Filipović Citation: Purba JM, Simamora RH, Karota E. The Relationship of Medication Adherence and Social Functioning of Persons with Schizophrenia in the Long-term Period. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2021 May 16; 9(T3):16-18. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.6302 Keywords: Medication adherence; Social functioning; Schizophrenia; Long-term period *Correspondence: Mr. Jenny Marlindawani Purba, Department of Community and Psychiatry Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia. E-mail: jenny_marlindawani@usu.ac.id Received: 12-Feb-2021 Revised: 27-Apr-2021 Accepted: 06-May-2021 Copyright: © 2021 Jenny Marlindawani Purba, Roymond H. Simamora, Evi Karota Funding: This study was supported by the Directorate Research and Community Development Ministry of Education and Culture Competing Interest: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists Open Access: This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) Introduction Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that causes individuals to experience difculty processing information and making interpersonal relationships with others [1]. Furthermore, people sufering from schizophrenia are prone to relapse. There is a yearly increase in the prevalence of schizophrenia worldwide, especially in Indonesia. According to the Basic Health Research [2], the prevalence of schizophrenia showed a signi fcant increase in the number of cases in North Sumatra Province from 0.09% in 2013 to 0.6% in 2018. This led to an increase in the amount of medications consumed and periodic visits to hospitals [3]. There are two types of antipsychotics, namely, typical and atypical. The typical types are frst-generation antipsychotics, such as haloperidol and fuphenazine, while atypical are second-generation, such as risperidone and olanzapine [4]. Medication adherence plays an essential role in successful long-term therapy for chronic diseases [5]. Adherence is defned as patients’ ability to take drugs (interval and dose) according to the doctor’s prescriptions [6]. Patients’ non-compliance when taking medication is usually due to a lack of knowledge on the associated adverse efects, low insight, and not knowing the benefts of taking medication [7]. Non-adherence to taking medication is one of the causes of recurrence in schizophrenics. This occurs because patients forget to take their medication, feel bored, or worse after taking it, with fear of drug dependence and feeling sluggish when walking [8]. A study carried out by Purba et al. [9], showed that the patients fail to comply with taking medication after leaving the hospital due to laziness and tiredness. The family can take the role of medication supervisor for their loved ones. The success of the treatment program would improve the poor cognitive function of schizophrenia. Good cognitive function can scale up social function so that they can carry out daily activities without depending on the family [10]. Methods Population and sample This is a descriptive correlation study, with data obtained from patients’ homes in Community Health Center North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. The inclusion criteria of the samples were patients with the following characteristics: (1) 18–65 years old, (2) diagnosed with schizophrenia, (3) have been to Pasung, (4) clinically